Tonight: Who will claim the trophy in Norway?

Much excitement surrounds tonight's Norwegian final, taking place at Oslo Spektrum. Eurovision.tv is on site to give you the low down on events, rehearsals and to offer some exclusive coverage of the Melodi Grand Prix final. 

After nearly a month of semi-finals in Ørland, Florø and Skien, followed by a second chance round in Sarpsborg, eight acts have made it to the final stage of the competition. Tonight, the Norwegian people and local juries will decide who shall represent Norway in Düsseldorf. The suspense is building. 

Keep reading below for some commentary and videos of all tonight's acts to get you in the mood to party with us in Oslo!

The acts

Below are videos of the eight acts performing tonight. The running order was decided by a draw in Bergen on the 8th of February. All videos are courtesy of NRK. 

1: VARDLOKK

Artist: Helene Bøksle

Music/Lyrics: Helene Bøksle, Sindre Hotvedt, Knut Avenstroup Haugen, Cecilie Larsen

2: ALT DU VIL HA

Artist: Sie Gubba

Music/Lyrics: Magne Almås, Petter Øien

3: DEPEND ON ME

Artist: Babel Fish

Music/Lyrics: Halvor Holter, Tarjei Van Ravens

4: FIRE BELOW

Artist: The Lucky Bullets

Music/Lyrics: Knud Kleppe 

5: DANCE TONIGHT

Artist: The BlackSheeps

Music/Lyrics: Agnete Johnsen, Emelie Nilsen

6: HABA HABA

Artist: Stella Mwangi

Music/Lyrics: Beyond51, Big City, Stella Mwangi

7: NOT THAT EASY (AH-ÅH AH-ÅH)

Artist: Åste & Rikke

Music/Lyrics: Rikke Normann

8: YOU'RE LIKE A MELODY

Artist: Hanne Sørvaag

Music/Lyrics: Hanne Sørvaag, Martin Hansen

"Betting odds are often completely wrong" 

Speculation is rife in Oslo as to who will win Melodi Grand Prix with bookmakers having Stella Mwangi with Haba Haba as the big favourite. At the moment Helene Bøksle and Hanne Sørvaag are just behind Stella Mwangi. Lower odds have been given to artists like Åste & Rikke and Sie Gubba. 

Eurovision.tv asked Stella Mwangi what she thought of all the speculation. Her reply was simply, "this is going to be fun!" 

However, as one Melodi Grand Prix super-fan, Morten Thomassen told NRK, "the results have not been as obvious as in previous years, so there it could well be that we'll be surprised about the final result as well". He also went on to say that he doesn't quite "trust" the Norwegian people this year because in a number of the semi-finals, they have voted for songs that weren't seen as favourites beforehand. 

The above shows that no matter what the odds are, you can never be too complacent. In a few short hours we will find out if the bookies were right, when Norway chooses its winner. 

What the fans think

When asking some of the most dedicated Eurovision Song Contest and Melodi Grand Prix fans who they think will win, there seems to be little doubt... Stella Mwangi with Haba Haba seems to be their favourite! 

However, if you look at past voting results, fans favourites don't always take the top stop in national finals or indeed Europe's favourite TV show! Do you remember the Kate Ryan who represented Belgium with Je T'adore in 2006? Her and her song were massive favourites amongst the fans yet she didn't quite managed to qualify from the semi-final. 

Until tonight, it is probably most appropriate to say, "watch this space" because anything can happen! 

The venue

The Oslo Spektrum is somewhat of a cathedral for Eurovision Song Contest fans all over the world. Not only has it played host to major events such as the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony and concerts for a plethora of international superstars, it also hosted Europe's favourite TV show in 1996 and every Melodi Grand Prix final since 2001.